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United Civic Party and Russia’s RPR-PARNAS sign cooperation statement

Belarus’ United Civic Party (UCP) and the Republican Party of Russia – People’s Freedom Party (RPR-PARNAS) signed a statement on cooperation in Minsk on April 24.

In the statement, the UCP and the RPR-PARNAS recognize each other as “friendly” parties and declare their intention to cooperate closely in a number of areas.

The statement was signed by UCP Chairman Anatol Lyabedzka and RPR-PARNAS Co-chairman Boris Nemtsov.

The inking ceremony was followed by a news conference in the UCP office.

According to Mr. Lyabedzka, the parties initially planned to hold the ceremony and the press conference at a conference hall of a Minsk hotel, but the administrations of several hotels, including Victoria, Crowne Plaza and Europe, refused to provide their halls for this purpose.

Messrs. Lyabedzka and Nemtsov plan to discuss Belarusian-Russian relations at a meeting at the Minsk office of the Belarusian Popular Front later in the day.

Founded in 1990, the RPR-PARNAS is a liberal democratic party in opposition to what it calls the Putin regime. It is led by Mr. Nemtsov, Mikhail Kasyanov and Vladimir Ryzhkov. //BelaPAN